The term
Levant
(variously interpreted as deriving from the Latinlevare
'to rise', or the related French lever, also 'to rise'), refers to the direction of the rising sun, from the perspective of Greek and Roman peoples. As such, it is broadly equivalent to the Arabic term
Mashriq, 'the land where the sun rises'. Any similarity to "Lebanon" is merely coincidental (though Lebanon does form an important part of the region). It is typically used in conjunction with prehistoric or ancient and medieval historical references, by archaeologists and historians, as when discussing the
Crusades.

The term
Levant, which appeared in English in 1497, originally meant the
East
in general or "Mediterranean lands east of Italy".[5]
It is borrowed from the Frenchlevant
'rising', referring to the rising of the sun in the east,[5]
or the point where the sun rises.[6]
The phrase is ultimately from the Latin word levare,
meaning 'lift, raise'. Similar etymologies are found in Greek
Ἀνατολή (Anatolē,
cf.Anatolia), in
GermanicMorgenland
(literally, "morning land"), in Italian
(as in "Riviera di Levante", the portion of the Liguria coast east of Genoa), in
HungarianKelet, in Spanish "Levante", (the place of rising), and in
Hebrew
(mizrah). Most notably, "Orient" and its
Latin
source oriens
meaning "east", is literally "rising", deriving from Latinorior
"rise".

The notion of the Levant has undergone a dynamic process of historical evolution in usage, meaning, and understanding. While the term "Levantine" originally referred to the European residents of the eastern Mediterranean region, it later came to refer to regional "native" and "minority" groups.[7]

The term became current in
English
in the 16th century, along with the first English merchant adventurers in the region; English ships appeared in the Mediterranean in the 1570s, and the English merchant company signed its agreement ("capitulations") with the
Grand Turk
in 1579 (Braudel). The English Levant Company
was founded in 1581 to trade with the Ottoman Empire, and in 1670 the French
Compagnie du Levant
was founded for the same purpose. At this time, the Far East
was known as the "Upper Levant".[2]

In 19th-century
travel writing, the term incorporated eastern regions under then current or recent governance of the
Ottoman empire, such as
Greece. In 19th-century archaeology, it referred to overlapping cultures in this region during and after prehistoric times, intending to reference the place instead of any one culture. The
French mandates of Syria and Lebanon
(1920–1946) were called the Levant states.[citation needed]

While the usage of the term "Levant" in academia has been relegated to the fields of archeology and literature, there is a recent attempt to reclaim the notion of the Levant as a category of analysis in political and social sciences. Two academic journals were recently launched:
Journal of Levantine Studies, published by
The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute
and The Levantine Review, published by Boston College.

The populations of the Levant[13][14][15][16]
share not only the geographic position, but cuisine, some customs, and a very long history. The largest religious group in the Levant are the
Muslims
and the largest cultural-linguistic
group are primarily Arab
due to Arabization
of the region over the centuries, but there are also many other groups.

Until the creation of the modern
State of Israel
in 1948, Jews
lived throughout the southern Levant alongside Muslims and Christians; since then, almost all have been expelled from their homes and sought refuge in Israel.

A dance native to the Levant is known as the
Dabke, a folk dance of possible
Canaanite[17]
or Phoenician[18]
origin. It is marked by synchronized jumping, stamping, and movement, similar to tap dancing. One version is performed by men, another by women.